New Delhi: Uma Kanjilal has been appointed the first woman Vice Chancellor of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), four decades after it was established, according to education ministry officials.

"With over 36 years of distinguished service in the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system, Kanjilal brings a wealth of academic leadership, digital innovation, and institutional knowledge to the helm of one of the world's largest open universities," an official said.

"She was currently serving as active Vice Chancellor of the university and has previously served as Pro Vice Chancellor of the university (March 2021-July 2024)," the official said.

A professor of Library and Information Science since 2003, Kanjilal is nationally recognised for her expertise in e-learning, ICT in libraries, digital libraries, and multimedia courseware development. She is currently the National Coordinator for SWAYAM and SWAYAM PRABHA, the flagship digital education initiatives of the Ministry of Education.

Kanjilal has held various leadership roles at the university including Director, Centre for Online Education (2019-2021); Director, Inter-University Consortium for Technology Enabled Flexible Education (2016-2019); Director, Advanced Centre for Informatics and Innovative Learning (2012-2013); Director, School of Social Sciences (2007-2010); and University Librarian (2004-2006).

Her global contributions include a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1999-2000), consultancy for the Commonwealth of Learning, and digital education work for UNRWA in Jordan. She has received multiple accolades including the Manthan Award for e-Education, an Australia-India Council Grant, and a DANIDA Fellowship.

"Kanjilal has been instrumental in expanding IGNOU's digital infrastructure and online education offerings. Her leadership as the Principal Investigator of the National Virtual Library of India Project and her current role as Coordinator of IGNOU's Project Management Unit under NMEICT Phase-III reflect her deep commitment to digital empowerment in education," the university said in a statement.